Readers' comments

Airlines seem to have short memories. Remember 15 years ago when they stuck airphones into seatbacks - and had to rip them out later because no one was using them? I predict that mobiles will suffer the same fate because of (i) the sky-high costs - no pun intended (ii) the air rage factor. For a tongue-in-cheek article on the subject, check out Check out an article on the subject, Wifi on planes? Enough already!

I can't wait to take the phone away from an annoying passenger that wakes me on a plane, break the phone in half and stick the parts up the users butt. People on Cell phones are SOOOO annoying anyway and usually the calls are inconsequential. I like the $10 per minute phones since that keeps all but truly important calls silenced.Secondly, Can't wait until Terrorists coordinate whatever they want to do next with airplanes. Let all the cellphone users go with this airline, I will avoid them like a plague. Let's hear it for Air Rage.

Maybe the problem is technical. Without any modifications to his planes, he has no way to take a cut of the calls because they connect via the existing mobile network. Only if he installs gear that creates a "flying mobile radio tower" (a "femtocell") inside the plane can he take a cut. Maybe he's just too cheap to do that...